Sweet Willie

Thanks YourPalWill, I missed the trip (damn work I'm going to just have to quit!). So I am hoping to get a trip going at some point to KC as well as the Carolinas. I only do not mention TX as I've been down a few times recently.

Had a couple different beefs lately: Had an Italian Beef sandwich at Ricobene’s (various locations). Lots of GARLIC and GARLIC. Slivers of garlic and the beef were put on a greasy garlic bun. I LOVE garlic but it was way too much, so thumbs down on the Italian beef at Ricobene’s. Tried the beef on its own and it was a bit tough. I had not been to Al's in a LONG time and had the same experience. Have to say that Johnnie's beef I like better due the spicing of the beef, but the hot giardinara at Al's is unique, good and unlike anywhere else so it is a very good beef IMO.

thanks for the info. I have a 98+ page word document w/all these places I want to try in Chicago, I cut and paste quotes on the places I want to explore. (looks like this was a very old quote! )

I had read the following information on Orange Orange has a sister location at 75 W Harrison St, which is where I had breakfast a couple weeks ago. It opens at 8am, phone: (312) 447-1000. This particular morning had the French Toast Kebabs, unfortunately very poor breakfast. There was no hint of the coconut milk, french toast was baked until dry, so not good at all. The best part were the strawberries on the kebabs that due to the baking almost became packets of warm strawberry essence. A wide variety of fresh juices were offered which I really liked. Service was great. I'll go back and try the Frushi sometime. Another special they had which almost caught my eye were their jelly filled buttermilk pancakes, jelly changes weekly.

Dined recently at NoMi. View (especially the window tables) is wonderful, has to be one of the best in the city. Service was prompt but not the most amiable. LOTS of suits. Appetizer of oxtail raviolis w/reduction was good, not great. Main course of Monk Fish, clams, mussels, mushrooms, plantains with a coconut/lemongrass cream broth and ginger pancake got better and better the more I ate it. A very good dish but I made a better imitation at home the following weekend sans ginger pancake. NOT a cheap place. $38 for most entrees. wines by glass $8-16. When I go to a restaurant such as NoMi, I expect to see 2-3 appetizers and 2-3 entrees that will JUMP OUT at me and I'll have a tough time choosing between. That did not occur; I was talking myself "into" dishes. I don't know if it was the wording or the descriptions just did not click but I generally view that as a negative. While waiting for my associate to arrive, I spoke at two different times w/two local (live downtown) couples who had tried NoMi more than once. Both had the same comment, it is expensive and they expected it to be much better. Both said the terrace is wonderful and not to missed for drinks when it opens.

Jockey is a every other month experience for my wife and I, we'll go for a long walk in the Busse Forest Preserve and try to get done about 11:15am, perfect time to get to the best (as I know it) Dim Sum place in the suburbs, Jockey Restaurant in Hoffman Estates. We try to arrive slightly before 11:30am, good thing because in 15 minutes the place is usually packed. On Saturdays and Sundays from 11am-2:30pm, Jockey serves Dim Sum w/the carts rolling around, one simply asks what the cart server has to get served the items on the cart. If you don't like it, don't take it. There is quite a good, fresh selection at Jockey BUT not all items come out on carts, make sure you request the Dim Sum menu so that you can see all the items available. Also, if you need a midweek Dim Sum fix, items are available at any time, just ask for the Dim Sum Menu. Jockey Restaurant 1017 N Roselle Road (NE corner of Higgins & Roselle) Hoffman Estates, IL 847.885.0888 http://www.jockey2go.com

While Mitsuwa is good, I prefer the sushi from Tensuke market which is 1 mile south of Misuwa on the corner of Higgins & Arlington Heights Road (south of 90).

Wild Fish Sushi - Arlington Heights NW Suburb I was done visiting some clients on Dundee Road yesterday afternoon just about the time that Judi was passing by this area on her way home. Hey, let’s go out to dinner, OK where? I’ve heard good things about Wild Fish in Arlington Heights (closeby), Sure let’s go. Wild fish is in this strip mall Arlington Heights city center area. It has lots of candles/minimalist decor and serves what it terms as “contemporary” sushi. Started out w/Blue fin Toro (fatty tuna) carpaccio served w/thin avocado and apple slices, drizzled w/olive oil. $25 but a very good dish, nice start for sure. Tried a noodle salad for $5, a decent salad, not overly special A surprise hit dish were the freshly prepared stuffed mushrooms $7, made on site. Mushroom caps stuffed w/crab, very lightly fried, served over a small salad w/a tasty dressing. We had our spicy tuna roll $6, something we almost always get at any sushi place, Wild Fish’s version was sure spicy, maybe too much as the flavor of the tuna was masked. Finished up w/Crunchi roll $11, a scallop roll w/avocado, sprinkled w/tempura bits served w/a citrus sauce. This roll we really liked. My large Sapporo beer was $7 and Judi’s glass of Pinot Grigio was $7. Service was a bit unpolished (dropped broken dish at my feet, coming back to ask about an order), but responsive which is what I really care about. Seeing as there were some hits, we will go back and try some other items. Wild Fish 60 S Arlington Heights Road Arlington Heights http://www.wildfishcontemporary.com/ 847.870.8260

[quote=bushey, Did you go yet bushey? what did you find? Looks like I'm set to win a sales contest with the prize being a trip to Nevis. I've read/heard about Miss Junes. I've no other info besides that.

How was Janos? Anyone have other Tucson suggestions?

I posted the following which is from Savuer Magazine Jan/Feb 2005 issue in another travel website and had a poster who lives in KL state that he was shocked that it got a mention but is happy as it is his favorite. Too bad I got my issue after I got back from KL. The mention from Savuer: Malaysia is the birthplace of several regional varieties of Laksa, a vibrant SE Asian noodle soup. Our favorite? The spice-rich version from Kuala Lumpur known as curry laksa or curry mee. The city's best is at Restoran Mee Kai Kee, a street stall that slings hundreds of bowls nightly of chef-owner Tony Wai's laksa. With its silken chicken and coconut milk curry, it's pure noodle nirvana.

Anyone been to L'Etoile lately? Looks like I'll be taking a client here in the next month.

separate paper thing may work in some countries but not the ones I visited recently as I was trying to avert the need for new pages or obtaining a new passport.If you feel you need to split this thread and form a new one, feel free. The forum is Restaurants, Cuisine, and Travel so I didn't think I was too far off base.

This is true, at least for the welcoming sheiks in Saudi Arabia. Thanks Fresser, no plans for Saudi Arabia anytime soon but was planning on Dubai in the UAE sometime w/in the next 8 months. I also just realized that this is a non-issue for me. I'm getting a new passport shortly as my visa pages ran out on my last international trip, so I'm going to get a new passport rather than having pages added as the passport expires in August anyways. The new passport obviously won't have the Israel visa stamps!

I've read that if one has a stamp from Israel in their passport that one is not allowed to enter Arab countries w/the exception of Jordan and Egypt. Anyone confirm?

Chocophiles have a home: it is called Cacao Sampaka. Here dark bars are infused with curry; cuppuccino slabs are swirled with ground coffee beans. There are chocolates flavored with anchovies; chocolate-tomato marmelada for breakfast; liquored-up bombones for a nightcap. The store's cafe serves astonishing cold chocolate milk with passion fruit and Aztec hot chocolate with 76% cacoa. ...locations are in Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, and Girona.From Saveur magazine Jan/Feb 2005

From Saveur Magazine Jan/Feb 2005Victor Arguinzoniz has been called the Ferran Adria of the grill. At his restaurant ETXEBARRI, in the pretty Basque mountain town of Axpe Atxondo, not far from Bilbao, he makes his own charcoal every morning, the uses it to grill or wood-oven-roast, on (or in) devices of his own design, just about any Spanish foodstuff you can imagine - anchovies, hake cheeks, giant shrimp, salt cod, pork chops, the minature eels called angulas (done in seconds in a rounded pan with pinprick holes in the bottom), even cream of red bean soup (slow-cooked in the smoky oven, them embellished with sweet red peppers stuffed w/blood sausage0, and dessert (for instance, an infusion of grill-roasted cocoa with ice cream made from milk reduced on the grill). This is some of the most original, compelling, honest food in Spain.

After spending an afternoon in Istanbul's sense-dazzling Spice Bazaar, walk to the banks of the Bosphorus for BALIK EKMEK - literally fish bread - served fresh from a smoking grill on a bobbing boat moored at the mouth of the Golden Horn. Fisherman catch bonito or mackerel in the straits, filet and grill them, then toss them into quarter loaves of bread with thick slices of raw onion and tomato - all for a mere 1.5 million Turkish lira. That's an incredible one-buck meal.from Saveur Magazine Jan/Feb 2005

From Saveur Magazine Jan/Feb 2005 Hungarian Snack We Hunger For When in Hungary, don't miss Langos (LAHN-gohsh), an appealingly chewy, salty, fried potato bread served from market stalls and street carts.

Best Bermudian meal I had there this summer - by a long shot - was at Dennis' Hideaway. To call it quirky would be a massive understatement, and it's not for everybody..... An understatement, have sent more than a few people here and most loved it, but a few almost took my head off when they returned. FWIW our family loved it. FYI, Following From Saveur Magazine Jan/Feb 2005 Bermuda is paradise, of course, but for those of us who can't relax in a place where men wear knee socks, Graham Lamb is a tonic. Walk up to Dennis's Hideaway, and Lamb, a round, unshaven man wearing a brown paper bag as a chef's hat, will welcome you with a grin. Better known as Sea Egg (Bermudian slang for sea urchin), Lamb has the only tasting menu we know of that is served on plastic plates. It starts with shark hash on toast, followed by conch fritters, curried mussel stew, and dark Bermudian fish chowder; then come the lobster, panfried shark, and deep-fried shrimp and scallops. "That's how we do it," Sea Egg says. "We're not going to change nothing." Fine with us.

Just ate here on Wed night, agree good food.

will be in Jersalem in a couple months. We are interested in the cooking of the region. restaurant suggestions for a local's meal would be appreciated? i.e. what do the locals eat?

I sent a buddy from NYC and his son to this place, the following is his write up from another forum : Maybe because we didn't expect it, or maybe because we were hungry, we both enjoyed the finest thin crust pizza we've ever eaten. The crust was wafer thin. Did I say we are New Yorkers who know pizza. This pizza was even better than the deep dish we enjoyed in Chicago. And as a matter of fact, this was even better than NY pizza. Cost for 1 large pepperoni and cheese pizza, and 2 sodas, plus tax and tip = $18 We could have ordered a second. It was that good. He does know pizza, he took me to a couple pizza joints in Brooklyn that were heaven.

could not agree more, not one thing redeeming about this place in my opinion. Seriously, go elsewhere even if you have a jonesen for BBQ. edited to add, I recently tried the original location as I figure a couple times going to the Algonquin location may not make a fair review. Sorry to say the original location was just as bad.

I was at the University Club where Chef Tony Bourdain has just spoke. The question was asked where had he dined in Chicago last night, he mentioned AVEC. As I’m heading out of the Loop on Randolph, what do I pass but AVEC and there is a parking spot 20’ from the restaurant. Fate for sure, so I park. The restaurant is small, communal style seating. Looks like a large sauna room, all wood with no art. Rear wall of restaurant is composed of the bottoms of green wine bottles. Seating for about 50 people. Seating is available at the bar, it is busy this Wednesday night, only a few bar chairs left. Started out with a special of Heirloom tomatoes & burata cheese. Seeing as this is the last hurrah for tomatoes I chose this dish. Tomatoes were sweet and delicious, burata cheese is like a mozzarella but slightly stronger tasting, and creamy in the center, sortof like a brie. Great dish. Next were the chorizo stuffed medjool dates wrapped with smoked bacon in a piquillo pepper sauce. AWESOME! Sauce was not needed but was delicious as I sopped it up with my just baked bread. The wood oven roasted port shoulder with green chili sofrito was the main entrée. Pork was so flavorful and tender. Served with sugared pickled garlic. A good dish. avec has many cheeses to choose from, including some raw milk cheeses. Enjoyed the cow’s milk gorgonzola, raw cow’s milk mahon semi curado and the raw sheeps milk farmstand idiazabal. Gorganzola was my fave but all were good. Had a Portugese red, Vinha da Palestra. It appeared that avec has its own cured meats, the guy next to me had a plate that reminded me of Salumi in Seattle. avec 615 W Randolph Chicago 312.377.2002 http://www.avecrestaurant.com Open daily at 3:30pm till 1am on Fri & Sat, till midnight Mon-Thurs, & till 10pm on Sun